Wow tech support engineer $350/wk

[Rudee]

Originally posted by: MartyTheManiak

Originally posted by: Rudee
replace the word "Engineer" with the word "Peon".

lol. When I used to work as a gardener one summer, I used to refer to myself a "Plant Manager"

Yeah, even dishwashers are jumping on the bandwagon. They're now referring to themselves as "Cutlery Maintenance Engineers".

 

[halik]

bah,
companies are fishing for losers... Just laugh in their face and walk away.

Im a sophmore at University of Michigan, doing flex hours java webdev and some tech support - 12.50 an hour

 

[bleeb]

Get out of the IT industry! I'm going into medicine.

 

[DWW]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: jonMEGA
What should a tech support guy do to better his career? What skills/certs should he get to stand out from entry level?

The problem is not the certs, they are easy to get if you have the time. The problem is getting Joe Geek that lives at home and whose parents still pay his bills to not take a job at $9-10 per hour.

In perspective, my county is hiring School Bus Rider's, they basically make sure that the driver doesn't molest anyone and help make sure the kids are ok....Salary: $9.57 Per Hour...you do need CPR certification though

I was called about a programming job (ASP/VB) and when the guy asked 'what would I need to come on board' and I said no less than $18/hr to start he gagged. Then he said he had two kids working at $12.50 or something, told me he could go to $13 'cause I had a degree'....I told him no way.

Å

You think that is bad? After I finished at college a friend offered me $7.50 US equivalent ($10 CAN) per hour to program. He thought he was doing me a favour too

I basically laughed in his face and he got insulted when I told him the job I had an interview for paid triple that to start.

Sure people want to "test you out" and see how good you are. But no one sensible can live off that for a few months until they realize how good you are. Its exploitation at its worst because some people have no other chance to break into the industry plus they need the money (especially recently graduated immigrants).

 

[Strk]

That makes me laugh, since you can start at $10 an hour up here(MA) at Lowes or Home Depot.

 

[DWW]

Giving more thought to this topic, the only good jobs in IT* are good are government ones. In Canada, even entry-level "tech support" type jobs can pay $50,000/year to start. The only suggestion I would have is get into IT* if you really like it and even then try to get a government job (good pay, long lasting, great benefits packages) or start a consulting* business of your own (even if it has to be part time and you have another job to sustain income at first).

*IT to me, I mean the practical applications: admin work, tech support, programming... not the high end research and design stuff for companies

*consulting is an overused term to group too much crap, I know

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: DWW

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: jonMEGA
What should a tech support guy do to better his career? What skills/certs should he get to stand out from entry level?

The problem is not the certs, they are easy to get if you have the time. The problem is getting Joe Geek that lives at home and whose parents still pay his bills to not take a job at $9-10 per hour.

In perspective, my county is hiring School Bus Rider's, they basically make sure that the driver doesn't molest anyone and help make sure the kids are ok....Salary: $9.57 Per Hour...you do need CPR certification though

I was called about a programming job (ASP/VB) and when the guy asked 'what would I need to come on board' and I said no less than $18/hr to start he gagged. Then he said he had two kids working at $12.50 or something, told me he could go to $13 'cause I had a degree'....I told him no way.

Å

You think that is bad? After I finished at college a friend offered me $7.50 US equivalent ($10 CAN) per hour to program. He thought he was doing me a favour too

I basically laughed in his face and he got insulted when I told him the job I had an interview for paid triple that to start.

Sure people want to "test you out" and see how good you are. But no one sensible can live off that for a few months until they realize how good you are. Its exploitation at its worst because some people have no other chance to break into the industry plus they need the money (especially recently graduated immigrants).

My first programming gig was at about 8/hour. After getting my degree, my salary has advanced well past that. You gotta start somewhere. Being too good for work, will only keep you inexperienced and broke.

 

[her209]

Haha

 

[trmiv]

Why would anyone with any experience take that? Maybe it's just this area, but you could get a job at a restaurant or Best Buy making more than that. My first "real job" was working at a warehouse as a "materials handler" (fancy way to say stockroom worker), and I made $13.74 an hour, that was 5 years ago. But, that is in the Silicon Valley.

The biggest problem I run into now is, you search for job and see these basically entry level network tech, desktop support, help desk support, and tech support jobs that want "7+ years experience, MSCE, CCNA, BS in MIS or CS, C, C# and C++ experience, PERL experience, PL/SQL experience." Thing is, in this area, they will probably get it.

 

[Descartes]

That's a pathetic offer, but it doesn't help things when you have every damn person regurgitating the "IT is dead" nonsense.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Descartes
That's a pathetic offer, but it doesn't help things when you have every damn person regurgitating the "IT is dead" nonsense.

I agree, IT will NEVER be dead.

Now mind you we don;t have all these fluffed up internet jobs BUT EVERY compnay hsa a IT department now, even fastfood is getting hightech. The jobs will come back when the money does.

Another thing I like to point out, who here would trust their network/it system to a guy that makes less then $10 a hour? Destroying a raid system or erasing piles of files, or the best one I remember is when someone got a hold of ALL the pay of all the employees and e-mailed them out their last day does not take very lon and is very easy. Now think what they could do with more time.
You get what you pay for.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Descartes
That's a pathetic offer, but it doesn't help things when you have every damn person regurgitating the "IT is dead" nonsense.

I agree, IT will NEVER be dead.

Now mind you we don;t have all these fluffed up internet jobs BUT EVERY compnay hsa a IT department now, even fastfood is getting hightech. The jobs will come back when the money does.

Another thing I like to point out, who here would trust their network/it system to a guy that makes less then $10 a hour? Destroying a raid system or erasing piles of files, or the best one I remember is when someone got a hold of ALL the pay of all the employees and e-mailed them out their last day does not take very lon and is very easy. Now think what they could do with more time.
You get what you pay for.

You heard your AT colleage, $10 hr is even too much, should be $8.

 

[daclayman]

And I wonder why I deliver pizza.

- I made a C-note yesterday on 8 1/2 hours, but I did have to miss 8 minutes of the Redwing game. That's exceptional but I expect to make $60 + wage = $14+/hr

 

[wiredspider]

I make $9/hr only 20 hours a week at my tech support job and I'm a High School workstudy (so they already paying us peon wages...). Someone must be really desperate to want that job.

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: slycat
i thought it was $350K/yr.

Me too.... thats absolutely insulting for pay.

 

[beatle]

Originally posted by: DWW
Giving more thought to this topic, the only good jobs in IT* are good are government ones. In Canada, even entry-level "tech support" type jobs can pay $50,000/year to start. The only suggestion I would have is get into IT* if you really like it and even then try to get a government job (good pay, long lasting, great benefits packages) or start a consulting* business of your own (even if it has to be part time and you have another job to sustain income at first).

*IT to me, I mean the practical applications: admin work, tech support, programming... not the high end research and design stuff for companies

*consulting is an overused term to group too much crap, I know

This is mostly true, especially in the US. An entry level job that requires a security clearance (MANY govt jobs require this nowadays, even if you're not dealing with classified material) can get you making a decent living.

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: bleeb
Get out of the IT industry! I'm going into medicine.

Im considering that exact switch myself here.....

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Tech support engineer???

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Tech support engineer???

Big words for "fix it bitch".

This job would do nothing more than install drivers, printers, and basic hardware upgrades.

It's all HR taking a couple buzzwords and fluffing up the job ad.